Melinda Gates needs no introduction. She has been the co-chair of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for 18 years. Now, she has quietly entered the venture capital world by investing in female-led or minority-focused venture firms likeAspect Ventures, Female Founders Fund, and Defy Partners. Through Pivotal Ventures, her Seattle-based investment and incubation company, Gates is betting that non-traditional funds can bring outsize returns. [ Fortune ]